Loved THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBERT ENTWISTLE very much! Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrator and he did an amazing job of bringing this story alive.

This charming tale reminds us that it's never too late to live your best life. Poignant and funny in equal measure, and narrated beautifully.

Got an audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you're expecting pure or 80% of romance here, this is not it. But I still recommend The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain because it shows the history of queer people, which could be triggering. It's a story about an almost 65 years old man who has his own life bubble because he's introverted, scared, and closeted. This book portrays that hiding a part of you means you're denying a life of feeling free, of being you, and of all the opportunities that can make your life soo much better. I didn't expect to cry at the end (don't worry, it was a happy cry) because of what bloomed in the journey of finding the love of Albert's life. I don't care about the age; I believe all deserve to continue a life's worth of journeys because, every day, you find even just the slightest new thing about yourself.

CW: Homophobia, Racism, and Heartbreaking History of Queer People (search it up for more specifics or correct CW as mine is what I thought is TW while I read it)

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this journey of finding lost love and discovering new love at the same time. The story centers mainly around Albert, but also pulls in the lives of many others, their fears, hopes, dreams, misunderstandings, insecurities, loss, and so much more.

Albert reminds us that we all make choices and choices have consequences, good, bad, ugly and when we get that chance to make a second choice that will somehow address the first one for the better, we should jump at it

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this audiobook for an honest review! <3
This book revolves around a 64-year-old man in New England, where he works as a postman, and Nicole, who is a 19-year-old black woman and also a mother of a 2-year-old. We see him as he goes through his very normal life but starts to receive some bad news regarding certain areas of his life which end up with his questioning the way he has been living.
The narration and the writing style are both very beautiful. The writing, while beautiful, is also full of sadness. Even the most common lines and sentences made me feel sad. The story itself is of course also very sad but also full of hope and love at the same time. It is a very important story, and I loved the way it's written with both the sadness and despair of the past and the hope and love of the present.
The POV switches between Albert and Nicole. I loved Nicole so much!!! She's sassy, she's considerate and she's so, so, loving to people she cares about! I just loved her! The timeline in Albert's POV shifts constantly between past and present and I loved getting a look into Albert's life when he was younger. It gave more depth to his character but also kept a mysterious air going as to what exactly went wrong in his life.
I don't know if it is sad or not but I, a 23-year-old, could relate a lot to Albert Entwistle. The way he keeps to himself because people take too much energy, the way he prefers his own company and tries to avoid social interaction whenever he can manage it. This was all so profoundly relatable that it brought tears to my eyes because I'm exactly like this!! Well, not exactly maybe as I do have 2-3 close friends but in the ways that matter, I'm exactly like Albert Entwistle. And okay, yeah, I know it's sad but it's also somehow what keeps me from getting disappointed okay? So it keeps my happiness intact too. It keeps my expectations in check and it was so good to see a character like that.
Even though Albert's character development also includes starting talking to people and enjoying their company, I still loved this character a lot and it was a joy to read.
I loved all the characters so much (except a few), even the ones that don't have much page time don't seem like caricatures or just placeholders or anything like that. Every character in this novel is so real and human and I just loved the way each character is written.
There was just this thing that made me a bit uncomfortable. At some point, Nicole asks Albert to watch what he eats lest he turn into a Humpty-dumpty and his LI finds him unattractive. This is fatphobic and it was unnecessary. If the author wanted to sow doubt in Alber's mind, he should've just said that the LI may not find him attractive because he's not as handsome as he used to be or something like that.
Except for this, I did love the book and I think it tells an important story about how difficult it was for queer people in the past. And for a lot of people, it still is. So I'll still highly recommend this book to everyone.
Actual rating: 4.5

This was a lovely audiobook.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwhistle tells the story of Albert, a gentle, introverted postal worker, who lives a very quiet, sheltered, lonely life. He makes his way to work each day, keeps to himself, makes his rounds in the village dropping off mail but never lets himself get close to anyone. He has his work, his house, and his cat and that's enough for him.

Or is it?

Forced retirement due to reaching age 65 hits Albert hard. What is he going to do with himself, now that he won't have a job anymore?

Plenty, it turns out. The forced retirement is a catalyst in his life, bringing about some introspection and tentative steps at reaching out to others, daunting as that may be.

The story is mainly in Albert's POV, with brief POV from Nicole, a strong secondary character who becomes Albert's friend and confidant. She's a young, single mother, trying to make it on her own and she and Albert form a bond that spans their generational difference and is mutually rewarding for them both.

The narrative skips back and forth from the present to Albert's late teen years and his long-lost love, those events having reverberations on his future, his life, and his outlook on the world.

This is a gentle, vulnerable book. Albert has built walls around himself, shielded himself from the outside world , people who could hurt him, has built up protections against his own overbearing and judgmental parents. They may be long gone, but the shadow of their disapproval still hangs over him. He's walled away a part of himself, buried his personality and sexuality. Watching him slowly open up, let himself reach out, be vulnerable, acknowledge who he was and who he is, and be brave enough to seek out the love he lost near 50 years ago is a moving experience.

He faces his deep seated trauma and even though so much time has passed, he holds onto hope that he can make things better, that he can find the boy he cared for and make amends, to him and to himself.

Albert is a lovely, engaging character. It is a joy to watch him slowly come out of his self-imposed distance from others. It's moving to watch him realise people like him, care for him, want to be his friend. And that he can be a good friend himself.

Nicole is a good secondary character. She's got her own story and difficulties and I loved how she and Albert (and her daughter) meshed together as found family. I also appreciated her romantic side story and how it didn't go down a path I worried it might. I was very grateful to the author for that.

There are a number of secondary characters, not fleshed out in depth, but detailed enough that you know the type. And that worked in this story. We knew enough about each other their quirks that they didn't become muddled, but they also didn't steal the spotlight from Albert and his story.

We got quite a bit of characterisation on George, Albert's love interest, in the flashbacks, but also from the people Albert encounters in his current day search for George.

This is a coming out story, a story with a middle aged protagonist, a story that describes a time in the UK when being queer was not only frowned upon, but illegal and fraught with consequence. This book does not shy away from the reality of those times. It confronts it head on. It puts a perspective on the queer experience and the juxtaposition of out and closeted queer individuals in that kind of society.

There was a very moving epilogue, after the book was finished, where the author recounts conversations with queer individuals who grew up during those years, who describe the iniquities, the persecution, the fear and longing for a place they could be welcomed and could love freely. It is a meaningful conversation and worth listening to.

This was an engaging and well written book. The audio was lovely. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this audiobook ARC.

This audiobook is the story of a sad, lonely old man who, when confronted with mandatory retirement at 65 from the post office, makes an effort to change his life. He makes a conscious decision to be his true self. What happens as a result is - wait for it - happiness? This is an LGBTQ friendly novel of what happens when you try and deny who you are as a person and talks about the pain and suffering in England when being homosexual was illegal. We need more 'Alberts' in this world.

This book was ABSOLUTELY beautiful! I cried quite a bit (which is a big plus from me because that means I was invested enough to care about the characters) and not only did I cry for sad moments, but I actually cried happy tears as well! So big stamp of approval from me on the emotional side. I also really love to see a story that puts a spotlight on the struggles the lgbtqia+ community has faced in the past to get to the freedoms and rights we have today. This book also included a little snippet of interviews with gay men who grew up in the 70s in the UK and talked about how they related to the fears and situations mentioned in the book. This book is by no means a complete history lesson, but I do think it provides a lot of information and it is presented in a way that would hopefully encourage readers to do more research themselves while or after reading it. And lastly, I have to say I really love to see a book that has an older main character. I love YA and NA, but it is nice to see someone older coming to terms with their sexuality and going out on a journey to find their love and happiness as it serves to remind everyone that it is never too late to change your life and fall in love again.

While I already had an ARC, thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for the audiobook ARC! (The narrator did a lovely job with this one!)

Rep: gay mc, Black mc, gay scs, trans sc

Rating: 4.5 stars

This book gave me House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune vibes (really wish Cerulean Sea didn’t have problematic roots). Both main characters are older, alone, stuck in their jobs and monotonous lives, kind of grumps and don’t have friends. They also both have cats. Obviously this one doesn’t have any magical kids though. But they both start out with the main characters being pretty lonely and stuck in their ways, and then slowly come out of their shell. They both go from kind of sad to wholesome stories.

I don’t think I expected to like this book as much as I did. It’s a 64 year old postman trying to finally live his life to the fullest after being forced into retirement. It definitely exceeded my expectations.

Albert has a pretty lonely life at the beginning, but I loved his journey. It’s really sad that he repressed himself, his sexuality and from making friendships, for so long. He had so much internalized homophobia from his dad and people around him as a kid that he carried with him into his old age. But once he starts putting himself out there, coming to terms with his sexuality and making friends, he realizes he was scared for nothing. So many people welcome him with open arms.

It was interesting to see him dive into the world of the queer community and social media. There’s so much to take in and learn. So much to catch up on in all the years he’s missed. Luckily he makes some friends along the way to help him out. Nicole especially helps him out the most. It was nice to see their relationship bloom. It’s not too often a 19 year old and a 64 year old get along so well and become friends.

I didn’t expect Nicole to have a pov, so I was pretty surprised by it. But it did work well. I liked seeing her life and her struggles. She had a lot going on, with work, raising her kid, dealing with her new boyfriend and her residual trust issues from her past relationship and getting treated a certain way because she’s Black.

Overall, it’s a nice light wholesome book. There is a lot of past homophobia in the flashbacks and internalized homophobia, but the author did a good job of telling his story.

The narrator did a great job. I liked his accent and how he did different voices for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen to this audio book in return for an honest review.
Synopsis
Perfect for fans of Fredrik Backman and TJ Klune, this humorous, life-affirming, and charmingly wise novel tells the story of how the forced retirement of a shy, closeted postman in northern England creates a second chance with his lost love, as he learns to embrace his true self, connect with his community, and finally experience his life’s great adventure…

Indie Next List Selection | Library Reads Selection


Albert Entwistle is a private man with a quiet, simple life. He lives alone with his cat Gracie. And he’s a postman. At least he was a postman until, three months before his sixty-fifth birthday, he receives a letter from the Royal Mail thanking him for decades of service and stating he is being forced into retirement.

At once, Albert’s sole connection with his world unravels. Every day as a mail carrier, he would make his way through the streets of his small English town, delivering letters and parcels and returning greetings with a quick wave and a “how do?” Without the work that fills his days, what will be the point? He has no friends, family, or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of, and a lost love that fills him with regret.

And so, rather than continue his lonely existence, Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living. It’s finally time to be honest about who he is. To seek the happiness he’s always denied himself. And to find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he loved and lost—but has never forgotten. As he does, something extraordinary happens. Albert finds unlikely allies, new friends, and proves it’s never too late to live, to hope, and to love.

This is such a beautiful novel, with a powerful message about the past and how hopefully life genuinely has changed for the better. I defy you to be unable to fall head over heels with Albert. His journey back to his true self and his true love are filled with such joy and hope. I absolutely adored it. The audio narration was beautifully done. I really want to know what happens next. A lovely credit from the author at the end to the people Albert and his life were shaped from. Loved it. #Jorecommends

5 stars!
The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a great such an amazing book of second chances, true love, living authentically and seizing the day. This book left me with a smile and a happy heart - 10/10 recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

An early edition of this audiobook was provided courtesy of NetGalley and RB Media for review purposes. Thank you so much! Simon Vance's narration was great and warm, fit for this character.

I was interested in this book based on the cover and title, which gave a "comfy and funny contemporary book." Kudos to the marketing team which did an excellent job!

As far as the story goes, it is mainly centered around Albert, 64 year old single man who is facing a number of tough changes in his quiet and lonely life. He is a shy postal worker living alone with his beloved cat. With all the drastic changes in his life, he starts to face his traumatic past and change himself.

As many other review mentions, the story itself is sweet and good-natured. One huge issue for me is the pacing - it is painfully slow and could be heavily edited down. I feel that the pace is intentional to this character, who is not someone to make rash decisions. I can see this book being treated for a Hallmark movie - it is sweet and feel-good. I must say that I wouldn't have reached it's ending though if I didn't take this on for a review - It really is way too long (or felt too long) for a simple story. I also find it jarring when the point of view change to another character, and flash back to the past.

I would recommend this book to another privately gay person who likes to keep things private.

Is it ever too late to be loved?

This book was just lovely. Albert is 64, a loner, a closeted gay man. He is being forced to retire from his job as a postman due to his age. His only companion, his cat, his precious girl Gracie dies and leaves him all by himself. He wallows in self-pity for a couple of days then he finds letters from his first and only love George, letters he thought were destroyed by his parents, among his mother's belongings, The letters remind him his first love, and the heartbreak. He sets off to look for George. Along the way he has an unexpected awakening and grows in ways even he could not have imagined.

His search enhances him as a person, it leads him to conquer his shyness, make some lasting friendships become a member of both his community and the gay community and learn to love his true self for the first time in his life,

His transformation starts by opening up to people- a lonely older lady, a teen mom, a coworker. He shows them who he really is and he is surprised to find that he is accepted just the way he is and these people want to be his friends. He changes their lives in meaningful ways too.

This book pulled at my heartstrings. The story follows a dual timeline. I found myself feeling one emotion after another. One moment I was heartbroken over Albert's loneliness in present day, his internalization of anti-gay stigma and his survival strategy (isolation) then I was smiling as I read about Albert and George's teenage love then felt so sad and angry over how unacceptable their love was considered to be and how cruelly they are torn apart. The cruelty gay man were subjected to in 1960s is something I've read before, in The Heart's Invisible Furies. In parts this book reminded me of THIF.

I love Albert and laughed at his bewilderment at the way the world had changed since his teens. The supporting characters were well-drawn. I loved that his best friends were an 18yo Black teen mom and a 90 yo retired artist. The book gets overly saccharine in some parts but I didn't mind. I set out to read a sad but charming story and this was just it.

"One thing I've learned is if you try to never look back, you never put the past behind you, it just tags along in the present and it burrows into you like some kind of poison. It's only by facing up to it and dealing with all the feelings it brings up that we can learn from it and move on"

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is an absolute treasure of a story. I love that the author believes in the philosophy of “show, don’t tell”, meaning he provides a perfect balance of narration and dialogue. Too often, authors end up telling us what each character is thinking instead of allowing the characters to do it for themselves.
The protagonist is introduced to us in a thoughtful way, and by the second section (I listened to this on audio) I felt comfortable that I truly knew Albert, could almost picture him. From there, we follow Albert on his journey to discovering how he fits in the world. Having spent most of his life (he’s in his 60s when we meet him) somewhat isolated from his neighbors and community, (for reasons I will not disclose here for fear of spoiling this story for future readers), he sort of “steps on the banana peel” shortly after the book starts and things begin to change very quickly for him. There is not a false note to be found, as the author very skillfully shows us how and why this happens.
Supporting characters are introduced seamlessly and relationships all make sense.
The main theme of the book is complicated and, in the hands of a different type of writer, it could have come across as preachy or flat but that is the exact opposite here. It’s a wonderful book and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a sad, sweet, lovely little story. I had a pleasant time reading this one despite not connecting deeply with the characters. Some elements were wonderful, like the idea of a man finally waking up to life after years of living in repression under his parents. The history of battles fought by gay men is the true heart of the book, balancing the present-day Albert making instant friends, filling everyone's needs, and dispensing flawless quips of advice in parts that feel a little too perfect. While there is enough heartache mixed in to prevent this being straight feel-good, it is ultimately a celebratory and happy story.
One very minor complaint that possibly sounds out of touch: every single acquaintance coming up to Albert to say "Congratulations for being gay!" feels weird. I know it's meant to be commendation for his taking the step to be publicly out, but it feels weird for near strangers to be making a big deal about someone simply existing when the whole point is that it isn't a big deal anymore.
Simon Vance is naturally brilliant with the audio narration, and I highly recommend looking for the audiobook version!

This book was more than I could have asked for, more than I knew to hope for! Albert is such an amazing character and his journey throughout the book wa s just so heartwarming and inspiring. I cannot count the number of times my heart ached, my eyes watered! This was such an inspiring look into what it means to be human, to find yourself at the “end” (retirement) and use it as a launching pad to the rest of your life. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! The amazing side characters, the wonderful (heartwarming/wrenching) flashbacks, the inherent message in this novel is just… so amazing I don’t have words. The audiobook was phenomenal and I felt like the narrator perfectly captured the voice of the character(s) and the heart of the story. The interviews at the end about what gay men experienced 50+ years ago made me fall even more in love with Albert and George, and made me reflect on how far our society had come in accepting the lgbtq community (and yet how some things remain).

Thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to listen to this early copy!! I am already recommending this book to all of my friends and family!!

Albert is set in his life, not drawing too much attention to himself and leads a strict routine. He is a post office worker and lives with his Cat. People always seem to tell him everything, but he just wants to lead his simple life. Then the unimaginable happens and that dreaded letter of retirement changes everything and seems to set off a whole string of unlikeable events. Without giving the whole story away, he soon discovers that people in general are not that bad to get to know, and that love always conquers all.

A really fast paced and enjoyable listed. I loved how he slowly starting changing and accepting himself for who he is. The character building was amazing and I could truly see how well Albert could dance in my mind.

Another feel warm, tug your heartstrings and root for the main character kinda book, loved it!

My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for this audiobook ARC.

This is the most beautiful book I’ve ever read. I relate to Albert a lot, and it was such a pleasure to learn about queer history with him and learn his story

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain and Narrated by Simon Vance is a wonderful, heartwarming, and inspirational fiction that kept me turning pages and left me with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step after finishing.

This is such a heartfelt and truly memorable novel. It really brings home the message of acceptance, regret, hope, second chances, and that no time in life is too late to take your life by the reins and make a go of it.

Reading and hearing the story of Albert, his life, his regrets, his secret hopes, wishes, and desires….it took me through a full gambit of emotions. I felt my heart go out to him so many times seeing that for so long he had to repress who he was, what he really wanted…sacrificing his happiness for society and what was expected at that time. It was truly heartbreaking.

I found myself cheering him on many times as he finally decides to branch out, go for it, place himself out there on a limb, and risk vulnerability to finally find happiness, make connections, and find true love and happiness.

Finishing this book gave me hope for the future for me, and for us all.

The audiobook was narrated excellently and really added to my overall enjoyment. I highly recommend.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG RB Media, Recorded Books and Kensington for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 5/31/22.

Albert Entwistle is a closeted gay man who works as a postman and is about to turn 65.
Since Albert was raised in a very homophobic environment, it is hard for him to open up to people and let them in. He is a bit of a loner and is only close to his cat.

After a few events turn his life upside down, Albert decides to be more open to other people and let them into his own life.
He also wants to find is long lost love he hasn't spoken to in 50 years.

I just finished this wonderful book and I am so happy I got to read it! I just loved the characters and thought the story touching.
Albert's character grow was a real pleasure to see and it made me root for him so much! It is such a heartwarming story and I believe this book became my favorite so far this year